Gweek 105: Gareth Branwyn and Jim McCann

This week's episode of Gweek is sponsored by Rickshaw Bagworks, manufacturers of San Francisco-made messenger bags, backpacks, and laptop sleeves. Use the discount code boingboing for 15% off an entire order through August 15th.

Jim McCann is an award-winning playwright and comic book writer. He is the writer & co-creator of Return of the Dapper Men, which garnered 5 Eisner nominations and won the Eisner for Best Graphic Novel. This award-winning team has reunited to launch Lost Vegas from Image in March 2013, a universe filled with intrigue as one gambler-turned-slave has 24 hours to go all in and pull off the greatest heist the universe has seen. In 2012 McCann launched Mind the Gap, an ongoing paranormal thriller/mystery series from Image. McCann has also written the following titles: New Avengers: The Reunion; Hawkeye & Mockingbird: Ghosts; Widowmaker; Hawkeye: Blindspot; and Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol. He writes in Los Angeles and believes Mac & Cheese should be at the top of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

The Hive. Mark: "The second book in Charles Burns’ hallucinatory graphic novel series (X'ed out is the first, which I reviewed here). A not really fair way of describing it is Eraserhead meets Tintin."

The Sandman Slim series, by Richard Kadrey. Gareth: "I just finished the 5th volume, Kill City Blues. This series is so entertaining, Kadrey’s inner and outer dialog is ridiculously funny and clever. The books star James Stark, aka Sandman Slim, a human who gets sent to Hell without dying and discovers he can’t be killed there. He ends up become an arena fighter in Hell and an assassin for Hell’s generals. When he manages to escape back to the Earthly plane, Hell literally breaks loose."

Mark: "At $420, the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 doesn't come cheap. But when I think of how much time I've saved by not having to file and look for paper documents, it's a great deal."

The Private Eye. "Immediate download of 27-page comicbook in your choice of PDF, CBR or CBZ."